


Happy birthday, Cloud

by SilverWield



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fun, Healthy Relationships, Light Petting, Sex, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26559028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWield/pseuds/SilverWield
Summary: It's an important date, but Cloud is in the dark about what exactly. Tifa's put a lot of effort into it, though.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Happy birthday, Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Cloud's birthday celebrations on the 11.8 and posted to tumblr at the time. Thought people would enjoy it here too.

Sitting at one of the tables inside Seventh Heaven, Cloud, Barret, Cid and Red were hiding from the worst of the heat. Mid-summer was a worse evil than Sephiroth and it was all anyone could do to stay cool. 

Tifa, Vincent and Yuffie were out at market and Reeve was at the office.

“Lucky bastard. Why can't we get an air conditioner?” Barret complained, wiping his sweaty brow with a bottle of beer. He took a deep swig, then put it on the counter. 

“Because we live in a slum,” came Red's bland reply. “Well, you do.” He looked at Cloud and grinned. 

Cloud nodded his agreement. “Be grateful we're inside. Could be stuck out there with the others,” he added. 

Barret grumbled under his breath. 

“Ah stop, boy. We all know you tried to go with.” Sitting in a tipped back chair positioned against the wall, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, the others thought Cid was asleep. 

Cloud looked away, caught out and unable to argue. He had offered to go with Tifa to market, but she'd said Yuffie and Vincent could help out more. _What does that mean? Why can't she rely on me?_

“Don't need to ask who you're thinking of,” Barret mocked, catching the look on Cloud's face.

“I wasn't,” he countered, ever the defensive teenager whenever someone mentioned Tifa.

“You're a bad liar.” Red chuckled. 

“Ooh, Cloud, I love you so much,” Cid said, putting on a voice that sounded nothing like Tifa. 

“I love you too, Tifa,” Red replied, affecting a girly voice.

“You two are idiots.” Cloud rolled his eyes and tried not to smile.

This statement earned him a tail whip on the thigh from Red.

“What the hell was that for?” Cloud stood up and moved out of range. Then he realised he couldn't reach his drink, so sat back down again. “You guys suck.”

“Just reminding you you're part of the club,” Cid said, chuckling.

“That's right, son,” Barret added. “You think we're idiots? You're team leader.”

Cloud crossed his arms and ducked his head to hide a smile. “Whatever.” 

The doors to Seventh Heaven opened and Barret turned. “We're not op— Oh, hey, Tifa, everybody. You get what you were after?”

Tifa nodded and wiped her brow as Yuffie and Vincent followed her in. “Thanks to these two, I did.” She tipped her head to the side, smiled and gave them a thumbs up. “How's everyone doing in here?” She looked at Cloud as she spoke.

He nodded and smiled. “Fine.”

“Good.”

Yuffie rolled her eyes and went to dump a bag of stuff on the table.

“Be careful with that.” Vincent stopped her just in time and took possession of the bag. “The contents are precious.”

“Ah, come on, it's not like it's materia,” she replied in a serious voice. 

“You need to care about things besides materia,” he deadpanned. 

Red chuffed. “Yuffie.”

“Stop teasing Vincent,” Tifa said, shaking her head. “Okay, drinks?” She collected all the bags and went behind the bar, where she started pulling bottles from the fridge. 

Cloud watched her, then frowned. “Tifa, you okay?”

She looked up. “Hmm? Oh, yeah.” She laughed. “Just thinking ahead.”

“Okay.” He wondered what the deal was with the shopping bags. Yuffie looked like she knew a big secret and Vincent looked like Vincent. _Business as usual._ He knew he wouldn't get anything out of either. He moved behind the bar to talk to Tifa. “You sure you're okay?”

She glanced at him. “Yeah. I promise.” She smiled and nodded, then paused and took a deep breath. “Can you meet me later? Wear something nice.”

Cloud tipped his head to the side. “...This a date?”

She blushed, ducked her head and looked at him through her lashes. “Is that okay?”

Cloud stumbled over his words in a rush to answer. “S-sure.” He took a breath and continued in a calmer voice. “What's the plan?”

Tifa's laugh was low and sweet. “You'll see. Just meet me later.”

~*~*~

Tifa was already downstairs in the bar waiting that evening when Cloud appeared dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and black slacks.

“You look good,” she said, eyes making a slow sweep from head to toe. 

“Thanks,” he replied easily, taking in her short, one-shoulder, black and white dress dotted with crystals. “You look pretty pretty yourself.” _Pretty pretty? Idiot._ Cloud wanted to face palm, but then he'd give away how stupid he felt, so resisted the urge.

Tifa smothered a laugh and turned towards the door. “Let's go.” 

“So, what's the plan?” Cloud asked again, as they walked through the rebuilt Sector 7 towards the station. He inched closer to her side and slipped an arm around her shoulder while keeping his gaze ahead. 

“Cid gave me a list, if you can believe that.” She shook her head and smothered a laugh. “He's more of a romantic than you'd think.”

“Oh yeah?” Cloud figured Cid had hidden depths since Shera clung to him in such a loving way, despite his cantankerous nature. 

“Yeah...” She shook her head and laughed. “Although some of it wouldn't be out of place in Wall Market.”

Cloud grimaced. “Cid...”

“It's okay, Yuffie kicked his chair out from under him and he fell on the floor.” She laughed and nudged him with her hip as they walked.

 _You'd think he learn to stop sitting like that._ “Where was I when this was happening?” He didn't remember any of this.

“Mmm,” Tifa tipped her head to one side, “out with Cait and Vincent on a job, I think.”

 _Cait and Vincent...?_ “Oh, right, the remnant.” He pulled a face. There weren't many left hanging around, but he still hated when he got a call to come deal with one. That could've been him. Not all of them were so docile, either. This one wasn't too bad, thankfully, so they took it to the WRO and let Reeve handle it. “So...what's on the list?” He smirked when he caught Tifa blushing as she ducked her head.

“Dinner.”

 _Dinner makes her react like that?_ “Okay, and?” When she gave him a wide eyed, earnest look, he pointed out, “You said it's a list.”

“Oh.” She laughed. “Well, you'll just have to wait and find out. Wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you everything.”

“...It's a surprise?”

“A gift.”

“A gift?”

Tifa laughed. “Are you gonna repeat everything I say?”

Cloud smiled. “Depends on what you say.” 

As they reached the junction that led to the station, Tifa pointed and said, “Down here.”

“The market?” He thought Tifa already went to market earlier. 

“Quickly—just for a sec, please?” She gave him the big eyes again and he couldn't say no. 

“Okay.”

~*~*~

“About damn time, Tifa.” The junk seller scowled and crossed his arms. “I was 'bout to close up.” He eyed Cloud. “Lucky bastard. Wish my girl went all out like this.”

Cloud scowled and crossed his arms. _Don’t talk about her like that._

Tifa held her hand out and the seller dropped a set of keys into her palm. “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.”

 _Appreciate what?_ Cloud wondered what she was up to. 

Tifa turned and jingled the keys at him, looking like the most pleased girl in the world. “Come on!”

“Tifa...What—?”

She took his hand and pointed to a side door. “You'll see.”

He ducked his head; everything Tifa did for him made him feel so lucky. Following her lead, Cloud stopped dead once he exited through the door into what turned out to be the seller's garage. “Tifa, did you—?” His gaze went to the sleek motorcycle he'd been admiring for the last week. The owner refused his offer when he tried to buy it. “How did you get it?” He looked at her in awe. 

She gave him a shy smile. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Overwhelmed, Cloud swept her up into his arms and hugged her. “Yeah, I like it.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks.”

“I'm glad,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. Putting her lips to his ear, she murmured, “I thought we could take it out for a spin, maybe?” 

Feeling his face heating, Cloud hummed. “Yeah. Let's do that.”

~*~*~

 _Concentrate_. Tifa had her arms wrapped around his waist and he could feel her pressed against his back. _Concentrate on the road, dumbass._ He revved the engine and put the bike in gear. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Kicking up dust, they sped through the slums and hit the edge of the expressway that led up onto the plate. “Which sector?” He still had no idea where they were going. 

“Two!”

 _Two? Okay_. The WRO took over management of the mechanical garden and turned it into a botanical one after the Jenova war. He didn't realise it was open to the public yet. He put his hand over Tifa's and squeezed. “Hold on tight.” 

Tifa pressed her cheek against Cloud's back and tightened her grip as Cloud sped up. 

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of toned thigh where her skirt rode up. _Watch the road_. His hand moved back almost of its own accord to touch as he said, “Don’t want you to fall.” _Weak excuse_. Tifa laughed and Cloud felt it echo in his chest. He tried to control a smirk and failed. “Hang on tight.”

“Any tighter and you might stop breathing!” Tifa shifted forward a little more anyway.

~*~*~

“So, what else did Cid list?” Cloud said, as they wandered around the exhibits. Not everything had been converted to planetary conservation, but Reeve was on his way. What mechanical aspects remained were used to augment the natural beauty of wild flowers and other foliage. There was more greenery in this one location than the whole of Midgar. 

“Uhh...” She tilted her head to the side. “A moonlit stroll...dinner...” She paused and turned her head. “Some other stuff.”

 _“Other_ stuff?” He tried to catch her eye and spotted her blushing again. He ducked his head. _Cid, I'm gonna kill you._ “So, what about dinner?” he said, changing the subject to something tamer.

“Oh, I have that covered,” she replied, taking his hand again. “Over...this way, I think.”

Cloud shrugged and let her lead him again. It was cute seeing all the effort she went to, although he didn't really understand why. Maybe she felt he deserved a treat.

They came across a table set for two and lit by candles. Two cloche covered plates waited, along with a bottle of wine in a bucket. About to comment on the set up, Cloud stopped and gasped at the sight of Yuffie wearing a tux. “What the hell?”

“I lost a bet,” she said by way of explanation. “Just shut up and sit down.” She pulled the chair out for him.

Cloud looked at Tifa, who smiled and nodded her encouragement. “Okay...” He sat and leaned back when Yuffie reached across him to whip the cloche off the plate. 

“Tahdah!”

Cloud looked down. “Barbecue?” A set of skewered meats lay across the plate, intersected by vegetables. He recognised it and looked up. “Did you cook this?”

Tifa laughed and shook her head. “How could I? I've been with you the whole time.”

He narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “Yeah, but, it looks just like your special.” Tifa only made it on special occasions because it was too popular and ran to high cost if they tried to mass sell it. _Is today a special occasion?_ He looked at Yuffie, who looked away and laughed. “Thanks,” he said, looking at Tifa again. “This is great.”

She smiled and said, “You're welcome!”

~*~*~

Cloud parked the bike outside Seventh Heaven and waited until Tifa got off before following. “I could probably custom this to fit my sword,” he said to himself, marveling at the high-spec machine.

“Biggs could probably help you out with that,” Tifa replied, fussing with her dress, then looking up at him. “He's got lots of connections.”

Nodding, Cloud replied, “I'll have to ask when he gets back.”

Tifa's pause was miniscule, but it made Cloud's heart stutter. “You know, I never did finish telling you what was on Cid's list.” 

Cloud knew she was getting at something, but he wasn't sure what. His brows came together and he tilted his head. “So, what was on it?”

Tifa ducked her head and looked up at him as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “...A goodnight kiss. I...had a nice time tonight.” She put her hands behind her back and shifted from side to side. 

_Goodnight kiss?_ They'd been dating awhile. He'd kissed her plenty, but this sounded different. Special. “Only nice? Guess I'm not trying hard enough.” He smiled and took a step towards her.

“You could put a little more effort in,” she teased, her smile growing as she also took a step closer.

“Did I say you look pretty tonight?” he questioned, then shut his eyes and groaned as he remembered what he said.

“Yes,” she replied, her voice low and amused. “You said I look pretty pretty.” 

When he felt Tifa slide her arms around his shoulders, he opened his eyes and found his view filled with her. _Pretty_. “It's the truth,” he said, their faces inches apart. “You look great in this dress,” he added, feeling the lightweight, silky material slide against his palms as he put his arms around her waist. He drew in a deep breath and took the plunge. “I bet you'll look better out of it.”

Silence.

Cloud's heart thudded in his chest. Hard. Loud. _Shit_. 

Then.

“Why don't you find out?”

~*~*~

The bedroom door clicked shut and Cloud drew Tifa to him. He slid his arms around her waist and held her close. 

Her hand cupped his face, and she kissed him, sweet and ardent. “Take your clothes off?” came her breathy request.

“For the right price,” he teased, smirking and confident.

Tifa ducked her head and laughed. “What'll it be?” she replied in a low tone.

“You first.” He held his breath as she stepped back and gave him a sultry smile. 

With little fanfare, the pretty pretty dress pooled at her feet leaving her standing before him in a cute set of underwear. She looked so inviting, he couldn't resist reaching out and tracing the edge of her bra as it curved over the top of her bust. His gaze centered on the rapid rise and fall of her chest as if it was the most interesting thing in the universe.

“...My turn,” she whispered, sliding his shirt off and using the opportunity to run her hands over his shoulders and chest. “Cloud...”

Cloud ran his hands down until her reached her thighs, then hooked his hands under her legs to lift her up.

Tifa gasped and clung on, wrapping her legs around him as he walked them towards the bed and eased them both down onto the covers. He kissed her, taking his time and savouring her sweetness. One hand trailed a slow and tickling path along her waist until she giggled.

“Cloud!”

“Tifa...” His lips moved to her neck where he pressed open-mouthed kisses. His tongue flicked over her skin, tasting her, and she moaned softly. 

Tifa arched up and wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingers into his shoulders. “I like that,” she moaned in a throaty voice, planting light kisses on his face. 

“I haven't even started yet.” Sliding a hand between her legs and into her panties, Cloud found her slick and ready. With slow, methodical strokes he teased and stimulated until she was writhing and reaching to return the favor. 

“ _Cloud!”_

He aimed for a teasing kiss, but she surged up and captured his mouth, slipping her tongue between his lips in a demand for more. Cloud slid her underwear off and tossed them onto the floor. The rest of his clothes quickly followed. She was wet, aching. Panting like she'd run a mile in a minute. Clutching and twisting the bed sheets in her fists, Tifa cried out lustily. She grabbed and kissed him with wild abandon, their bodies moving together in perfectly balanced harmony...

~*~*~

Draping her arms around his shoulders, Tifa pressed her lips against Cloud's neck, darting her tongue out to lick the sweat from his skin. As they cuddled, replete with their legs tangled in the bed sheets, he caressed her arm as she drew patterns over his chest with a lazy finger.

“Did you enjoy your gift?” she said with sleepy amusement.

In response he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up so he could kiss her. “Mmm,” he replied when he drew back. 

Tifa pressed her lips to his jaw and nipped lightly. “That was some goodnight kiss,” she said, in a breathless, yet wry voice. She hid her smile against his neck, though she was sure he felt it. “Happy birthday, Cloud.”


End file.
